A first objective of the present invention is to solve the problem of providing a signal to a responsible repair center that will characterize the type of cable or power line that is down to enable the to a responsible repair center to accurately evaluate the defect and determine what repair service is necessary, if any. The first object of the present invention is to reduce or eliminate unnecessary electric utility and first responder intervention in the event of a downed electrical cable that may not present a voltage hazard. Utilities are besieged by calls of downed wires, which may in fact be only telephone, cable TV, or other non-hazardous electrical or even fiber optic lines. Nevertheless, power utilities must consider all downed lines as live electrical carriers. Responding as such taxes a utilities ability to effect rapid overall system damage assessment and prolongs system restoration.
It is a second object of the invention to provide a downed line status indicator that will help the public near the defect to avoid danger and assist the responsible repair center in analyzing the defect so as to increase the ability of the responsible repair center to repair lines damaged due to an unplanned natural calamity or other incident. The status indicator includes the use of a short array of color coded light emitting diodes (LEDs) that would alert the public with a light source and inform the public of the status and mode of the downed line.
If the downed line is not energized, the disclosed invention provides a status both to the utility and to anyone in the vicinity of the fact that the line is not energized.
A third objective of the invention disclosed is to provide a warning as to a whether a power line is live, whether this represents high voltage before a distribution transformer, or line voltage from a distribution transformer.
It is a fourth objective of the invention to provide for detection of a fallen power line and to provide signal or signals that indicate if the power line is experiencing a load due to arcing or a corona. In other words, current detection is not enough; the presence of an electric field with the capability to pass current is detected.
Earlier art has shown the loss of load or a change in the line voltage to indicate a possible problem on the line